viii, 299 pages ; 22 cm

In this influential and controversial work Chomsky draws on philosophy, biology, and the study of the mind to consider the nature of human cognitive capacities, particularly as they are expressed in language. He arrives at his well-known position that there is a universal grammar, genetically determined, structured in the human mind, and common to all human languages. Aside from his examination of the various principles of the universal grammar -- its "rules and representations"--Chomsky considers the biological basis of language capabilities and the possibility of studying mental structures and capacities in the manner of the natural sciences. Finally, he also explores whether there may be similar "grammars" of perception, art, human nature, scientific reasoning, and the unconscious. -- Publisher description

Includes bibliographical references and index

1. Mind and body --- 2. Structures, capacities, and conventions --- 3. Knowledge of grammar --- 4. Some elements of grammar --- 5. On the biological basis of language capacities --- 6. Language and unconscious knowledge

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